My Blue Heaven
by fishy701
Summary: Oneshot series
1. Falling Slowly

**Intro:** okay, welcome to my new drabble/oneshot series :D There are so many stories that I write but never finish, so I think I'm just gonna post things up here as no-obligation oneshots. It took me a while to decide that's what I was gonna do, only because I knew it could end up getting me less hits (I am a complete attention whore and I apologize). I finally resolved to just make the archive and work hard on the first one, to captivate the readers, etc. After that, it was just a matter of gathering the will power to sit down and type up, proofread, and edit the drabbles I had already written.

I will be posting two today. There are probably more to come, though I know the sense of obligation is just not present enough for me to really put much effort into them.

For those of you waiting for updates on any other story, eg Those Who Love You (nobody) or At a World's End (two people at most), I apologize. When I am over something, it's hard to get myself to write it. If i'm not living in the story, I can't get it done. that's just how it is. (that's also why I think i will do better with a oneshot series than anything else. shorter stories are easier for me to write.)

So, I hope you all keep reading and reviewing. This ate up my weekend.

**UNIVERSAL DISCLAIMER (applies to all chapters/oneshots in the story/archive):**I do not own Avatar: the last airbender. If I did, the romance would have been handled better. I am not responsible for any trauma you may experience when reading this piece of purely fan-made fiction. I make no profit off of the characters or concepts of Avatar: the last Airbender.

(...that way i won't have to keep posting it xD)

* * *

**Title:** Falling Slowly (yes, after the song. again.)

**Rating:** T, (attempt at) mild sexual themes

**Word Count:** 1,470 :D

**Timeline:** After the Zuko/Azula agni Kai, before everyone else shows up at the palace.

**Category:** romance/fluff mostly

**Summary:** The long awaited end of the war has been finalized, and it is midnight in the firenation palace. Azula's tirade has left the palace without half it's servants-Zuko and Katara have to find somewhere to sleep.

**Notes: **this is almost pure fluff. It was going to be the beginning of a full on story, but I decided against it. I had too much trouble deciding what exactly I wanted to do after this chapter, and how I would get my points accross. in the end, I think I just had too many ideas, and none of them were good enough for me to really love. So I never did finish it, but I loved the first chapter, so I rewrote the ending to make more sense as just a oneshot for this. I hope you like it. To all those who don't really want to read it and have gotten this far, I am craving an honest critique. This is your chance to insult me so please read and review xD

btw, this is my new header. I am excited. The intro thing will only happen once xD

* * *

**Falling Slowly**

After meetings for the end of the war, reports from the avatar and the air ship fleet battle, and making plans for one currently tranquilized basket case of a sister to stay in a mental institute in the capitol, Katara's eyes start to droop.

The two had been sitting in Zuko's father's war room since that afternoon and now it is past midnight. The only piece of information she still remembers is that Aang and her brother would not be at the palace until the next morning.

"…Will have no trouble with the soldiers themselves, but some of the conservatives among the higher ranks may…" Someone is talking—Katara doesn't care. "…Resentment for the new firelord and-"

The middle aged man in his dark robes stops when Katara begins to take in a very loud breath, trying to cover up her yawn to no avail.

A silence falls over the room. A blush spreads over her cheeks as everyone stares at her. She turns her head to look at Zuko, who is sitting next to her and trying not to laugh. She brings her head down.

"Hehe…Sorry about that." A soft laughter starts to bounce off the walls of the huge room. Zuko takes this opportunity to stand up with a smile on his face.

"I think this would be our cue to retire for the night. It has been a long day. Tomorrow, the Avatar will arrive and we can bring this country into a time of peace."

Now, it's Katara's turn to stare. The man speaking so regally is at such a shocking contrast to the boy she had joked around with for the past two weeks on Ember Island. She is suddenly overcome with a feeling of great inferiority as the advisors and nobles hinge on his every charismatic word.

Zuko seems to sense this, as he then brings a hand down to her saying, "Come on. Let's go find a place to stay for the night," with a kind smile. The nobles gathered around the table start to stand up and depart as Katara smiles in relief and takes his offered hand.

His touch is warm and comforting on her hand, and his smile is genuine and shows in his eyes. The combination of the two is enough to make her go breathless and she sways a little on her feet as she stands up. His smile quickly turns into a worried frown as he takes hold of her elbow with his other hand, steadying her.

"Uh, sorry." She brushes it off and makes an excuse. "To be honest, after everything that's happened, I'm kinda surprised neither of us has passed out yet." She tries to will her face to cool down, giving him a small, shy smile. "Thank you."

As soon as every noble has left the room ("A safety measure—You wouldn't want them plotting against you behind you're back would you? Don't give them the chance by providing the accommodations."), the two follow into the vast hallways of the palace.

Zuko is now frowning in thought and letting out an exasperated sigh as they turn a corner. "I think we're going to have to stay in my old room for tonight," he finally says.

She stops in her tracks for a moment as he goes on somewhat hurriedly. She gives a shake of her head before running to catch up with him, quirking her head to the side in a question. "What! Why? Don't you have, I don't know, guest quarters or something?"

He lets out an annoyed, awkward breath. "Well usually we would, yes, but my sister decided to _"banish"_ all the servants in her tirade before we got here, and there is a shortage of people to manage that sort of thing. So unless you want to take _Ozai's_ room…" He looks down at her, almost smirking.

She immediately starts to shake her head vigorously, looking absolutely mortified. "_No!_"

"That's what I thought." They turn another corner. If he notices how easily she had given in, he says nothing of it.

Soon, they come through a door to a completely secluded hallway. The windows set into the west side of the hall overlook a garden, the moon casting a bluish glow to make shadows across the floor. Zuko walks up to the next door and pulls a key out of his sleeve.

"I don't know if anyone's touched it since I left…" he says quietly. He holds in a breath as he turns the lock. Katara briefly wonders why, before it creaks open to reveal one gilded room with a gigantic bed set in the middle as if on some kind of pedestal. There is a nightstand, a dresser, a rack of some sort, and another window overlooking the pond in the garden—

And a framed portrait stands on a small table in front of the bed. A burnt out candle rests on the step next to it. Zuko lets out a shaking breath and gives a sad smile. "It's still there." He says it in barely a whisper.

He walks in and stops in front of the portrait, kneeling down. Katara follows and watches as he takes it in his hands. He stops for a moment, just looking at it. The painting is of a beautiful woman, with ivory skin and dark hair. Katara knows she has seen the face before. _It's…that must be his mother,_ she thinks, remembering the portraits she went through at his family's beach house. He stands up, taking the candle to stow them away in his dresser.

Katara lets out an astonished sigh as she looks around the room, taking in everything. She had not idea why she was so interested in his room. Suddenly, she wants to know every thing about the way he lived before he left to join them. Suddenly, in the presence of his royal bed and gilded walls, it matters to her that _this is where he slept…_

There is a drawn out silence where they just look at the room—Zuko in reminiscence, Katara in awe. Then they both look at the bed. Their eyes immediately shoot to each other in what are supposed to be sneaked glances, but instead they make brief eye contact and the moment turns painfully awkward. Katara shifts uncomfortably on her feet.

Zuko takes this opportunity to start towards the opposite wall, muttering, "You can just…take the bed for now. I'll be back soon, and we'll figure something out." He walks through a door to what she can only assume is a bathroom and she is suddenly glad he is not there to see her blush.

It is then that another huge yawn hits her, reminding her of her most urgent dilemma as she rocks back on her heels. She sighs inwardly and walks to the bed, resigned. She sits down on the side facing the window, looking out to the softly lit garden. The moonlight reflects off the pond gently and her eyelids start to droop. She had meant to stay up for a little while longer, but she firmly decides that is impossible. Instead, she lies down and curls up on the bed of Prince—_no, Firelord_—Zuko. She is asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

He comes back into the room moments later to find her asleep facing the window, the soft light caressing her exposed cheek. He laughs softly before walking up to her. There is a moment where he does nothing but sigh and look at the image of her form silhouetted against his bed, smiling softly. The smile fades as he leans down, instinctively, to kiss her softly, cautiously, on the side of her cheek, right near the ear.

She smiles in her sleep and lets out a soft moan, making a certain warmth uncurl inside him. Then his chest constricts as he remembers just _who_ she is and just _who_ is already interested. _She is probably dreaming about the avatar... _

He cannot completely brush off the thought, but looking at her, bathed in moonlight, in his room, on his bed, he promptly decides that he has been on _the avatar's_ _side _enough for one day, and is going to do whatever in Agni's name he wants to. So that night, Katara's dreams speak of warmth and safety for the first time, held close in the cradle of strong arms and gilded in the red and gold of the fire nation palace.

* * *

**A/N:** thanks for reading, and again, please review.

_**-Fishy**_


	2. Can't Wake Up

My Blue Heaven: your #1 (I wish) source of deep, intellectual oneshots...sorta

* * *

**Title:** Can't Wake Up (after MCR's sleep)

**Rating:** T, violence

**Word Count:** 1,440. i'm really going strong here

**Timeline:** 3rd season, all the way to post-finale

**Category:** angst

**Summary:** Katara had never been one to have nightmares until now. It's too much for her to take without seeing him right there in front of her.

**Notes: **wow. so this one was a little sad. (a little. that's funny) I totally forget what spawned it, I just remember wanting to bring together the idea of Katara seeing Zuko almost die, and how they have come to depend on eachother, and love eachother, near the end of the show.

There is a moment in there, that I came up with a while ago, that is a bit stupid. that's why i didn't really elaborate too much on it. I wanted to write about how their night at the Order of the white lotus tent village/camp went: when zuko is done talking to his uncle, and all that "follow your heart" talk, he comes back to his tent to find Katara there, sleeping. She explains that Toph kicks in her sleep, and how you really couldn't pay her to share a tent with her brother and Suki when they were doing who-know's-what, and they spend the remaining two hours or so of nighttime together. It was gonna be a companion piece to this, but I don't think i'm never gonna finish it, so whatever. I might do it sometime later. but I probably won't.

You may notice some weird crap going on with the tenses in the story. I seem to be slipping out of my present tense habits, and while that is kinda good for me as a writer in the long run, because it's "normal," I kinda miss it being a little "signature" thing. Even though it really isn't mine (I took the idea from AkaVertigo's stories). As a result of all this, I am writing half in past and half in present, and sometimes it doesn't always go smoothly. I hope I edited it well enough.

* * *

**Can't Wake Up.**

Katara had never been one to have nightmares. Her dreams had never been bad in the past; in fact they were often more of an escape—some kind of peaceful image—usually leaving her empty come morning. (After her first night away from home, she had woken up thinking, _it was warmer in my dream_). Even after her mother's death, there were no nightmares, only sweet dreams of seeing her one more time, surrounded by generous amounts of snow and sun. They could be sad sometimes, but never truly heartbreaking or scary. They never left her in tears.

Until now.

The dreams started coming after the siege of Ba Sing Se. She would see her family—Sokka, Aang, and Toph—earning scratches and bruises in play-by-play fights that she would never get to the end of. She dreamt up battles between her friends and faceless enemies. She would see them being imprisoned and abused. She would see them bleed—not a lot, but the scratches on their cheeks and arms would let one drop of blood fall to the ground or slide down their skin—and she would wake up. She would take deep breaths. They would be right there in front of her, and she would be alright. But the image would always stay with her—it would always be someone she cared about. Just bleeding.

Then they stopped for a while. Sometime during their travels, crusading around the fire nation, she came to forget how her family had almost died on multiple occasions.

But then she faced her mother's killer. Remembering her mother's death brought every image back, every nightmare, every ghost of an image of her family _just bleeding._ And when she finally started to think of Zuko as _human,_ some time at the western air temple when she saw him with this pathetically defeated look on his face, and was still denying she did, she had started to hold him dear. He was added to the list of people in her broken family.

And after their mission to confront the leader of the southern raiders, she would see him every night in battle. It was easy to imagine him bruised and scathed. She had seen him like that before. And it never really bothered her that much. The dreams didn't scare her—until they learned about the coming battle due the day of the comet.

The dreams got worse.

And for some reason, it was always Zuko—because whether or not she knew it, she felt sorry for him. She had seen him broken—more broken than anyone else, and maybe she was just starting to care for him more than the others in the group, just by a little—because he had saved her life and because she knew she would save his, given the chance.

So her dreams gave her the chances. They would start out slow. He would get into a stance, so would the faceless opponent. They would start to throw fire at each other. He never had trouble until they got to closer quarters. This is where Dream-Zuko got a little less sharp.

Dream-Zuko would stumble or falter. The opponent would lunge at him with a stealthily hidden dagger, or kick his feet out from under him. The first time, it ended with an image of Dream-Zuko's determined, desperate face as he lunged at the other man. The next time, she was not so lucky.

They had been sleeping with Appa, tucked into two of his furry, comfortable niches, in between the legs on his side. Zuko was right there, sleeping next to her. But Dream-Zuko was struggling.

He lunged and dipped, and sweat rolled off his face in beads, and the sun was setting, giving the scene a sort of golden twinge as a dagger was thrust toward him, and he dodged it, but then he was kicked in the jaw and knocked to the ground, kneeling as a wave of fire is sent his way—and she woke up with a start as Toph yelled, "There's someone here!"

Her heart pounded for a couple of minutes, but he was right there in front of her, and it was alright.

It happens again that night. She had tired to share a tent with Toph—the Order had three to spare for them—but Toph kicked. Not much, but enough to keep her up with the suspicion that she isn't the only one plagued by such nightmares. Sometime after 3:00 AM, she gives up trying to sleep in there and moves her bedroll, on loan from the supply tent, to the tent Zuko was assigned (you couldn't pay her to share a tent with her brother and Suki. She knows what they do at 3 AM)

Zuko isn't there. Last she's seen him, he was gathering the courage to step into his uncle's tent to plead for his forgiveness (even though everyone else knows he really doesn't _need_ to. Of course the man would forgive him). She briefly wonders what he could have been doing for the past two hours, but then a yawn takes her and she lets the issue go, setting her bedroll down next to his. She makes sure not to take more than half the space—it's his tent. She shouldn't impose.

She slides into her blankets and closes her eyes, asleep within minutes. The dream starts again. She gets all the way to the surrender this time--he lies on his back, with his hands held up near his head. The other man has a fist aimed at him—she almost sees the heat gather around his hand. The man takes a breath and she quickly wakes herself up, wrenching herself out of the dream before he dies, because she knows she couldn't take that. She opens her eyes just in time to see Zuko open the tent flap in the near dusk. He stares at her.

She quickly explains how Toph had been kicking her, and how there was no other place for her to sleep, and pushes herself more into the corner, in a silent apology, giving him a little more room. He takes all of this with a blink and a short, soft laugh before settling into his own sleeping bag.

Her heart is pounding for a couple minutes, but he is right there in front of her, and it's alright.

The remainder of night is spent peacefully—her nightmares let her be, probably because her sleep was so short lived. They are woken up not much later. (_Things are so crazy before a battle..._)

For the rest of the day, she flies, fights, and sits through conference after conference. And for the next few days, her world is at peace. But then she gets the dream again. And this time she does not wake up.

Dream Zuko had started to sweat. He was forced into dodging blow after blow, and in the next moment, the opponent had come up right in front of him, blocking his feeble punch with ease, and he is tripped and rolls back to his feet, but he never gets the chance to attack. The opponent brings out a dagger and as Dream Zuko tries to lunge, and she sees that one, determined and desperate look on his face, in his eyes, the dagger is driven straight into his chest. The blood spurts then starts to gush forth, and he screams as he falls to his knees, then to his hands, and the opponent just_ stands_ there (Katara can still imagine the smirk on the man's face). The muscles of Dream Zuko's jaw tense and his fists clench, and he grits his teeth as he grabs the dagger by the hilt, now slippery with blood, and with a tug, the dagger is on the ground, and more blood spills after it and he collapses onto his side, clutching the wound on his chest. His skin goes grey and his face starts to relax. His hands unclench. She thinks she sees his body spark with lightning for a split second as his last breath pours out.

She wakes up crying, hands clenched and buried in the sheets. She opens her eyes to her new, fire nation quarters, on her last day there, and shudders. He is not there in front of her. Her heart does not pound; it aches. And she is not alright. She is broken.

* * *

**A/N:** Blah. please review.

**-_Fishy_**


	3. Scraps: Refinale Writer

**Title:** Untitled (Refinale writer's audition)

**Rating:** K+ (nothing much here, but it gets a bit deep)

**Word Count:** 915

**Timeline:** ep 316? The Southern Raiders

**Category:** friendship/angst? idk xD

**Summary:** There was that awkward space in between friends and enemies where their relationship was both useless and invaluable at the same time.

**Notes:** well, this is a bit belated, and a bit raw. There wasn't much i could do, and if you've talked to me in the last week, you'll know i've been sick, tired, busy as hell, and easily pissed off.  
I've had a shitload of work to do this week, so i didn't have much time for this, but I managed to pull something together. hopefully it's not to late.  
(For those of you who don't know, this is for bluetarako's Zutara Rewrite project-the writer's audition. i finally decided that i could be useful after all, and am going to pitch in as much as i can)  
anyways, it's not that official, or refined, but it's here, and if i get in, i'd be able to do a lot better. the school only does this about every six weeks or so xD

So yeah. here goes.  
This takes place in The Southern Raiders episode, and i imagined it happening right after Katara walks off from the scene with Yahn Ra, or whatever the guy's name is ; and Zuko follows her. She is angry because her mother was killed without mercy, she is ashamed because she wanted to kill someone, and because she couldn't do it, and she is depressed, because she realizes there is nothing she can really do about her loss-nothing to make her feel better.

* * *

**(Untitled)**

Her fists clench as she hears his footfalls come closer-he jogs to catch up to the girl as they leave the old, bitter man behind them. The sound fades as he slows to her pace, walking beside her.

She is staring forward, glaring at the horizon in front of her, and he takes this opportunity to steal a glance. She is tired and she is angry. That is all she is willing to show-he imagines her knuckles going white under her gloves.

"...You alright?" he tries to say nonchalantly.

Her eyes narrow, she stiffens a bit, trying to fend him off. "I'm _fine,"_ she says. Her voice shakes enough to relay that she is most certainly not _fine_, yet she maintains the appearance of being composed and collected-it is a hard thing to do when her thoughts are racing as much as they are.

As they keep on towards their friends bison, Katara wants nothing more than to punch something-her veins fueled with a rage she usually reserves for only one person, if that. She wants to scream and kick until her lungs give out. She wants to take something and throw it against the sky and watch it burst into a million pieces. Her hands constrict as she imagines strangling something, _or someone_, until they come to a clearing in the dimly lit fire nation forest. Her eyes fall upon the sky bison-to the arrows adorning it's fur- and she stops.

Zuko almost doesn't realize this before stopping himself, casting a sidelong glance in her direction. Her eyes have lost their fierce glare, but a trace of anger, or more accurately disgust remains in her balled fists and tight-lipped expression—but he decides to exercise restraint, knowing he'll just get the same angry response.

Then her eyes close. She swallows, and lets out a weak sigh. He watches her out of the corner of his vision as she opens her eyes and brings a hand up to her mother's necklace. Her gaze is averted, her posture defensive, but he sees the tears gathering at her lashes. _Screw restraint._

He takes a step toward her and grabs her by the arm over her chest.

She looks up at him, surprised by the sudden contact, and sees the concerned expression on his face. Suddenly her fury comes back to life, and she tugs her arm out of his grip and slaps him with her free hand. He stares at her, shocked and she glares back, her mouth contorted in a scowl.

He reaches over to take her elbow, face growing colder.

And she evades him, driving her elbow into his chest, and almost shifting into a stance.

He draws back by a mere inch, but does not give up. "Katara," he pleads with her.

Zuko stands tall, well above her head, and holds a hand out to her.

She draws herself back up and shoves his arm out of the way. He winces as she lands another blow to his chest. A tear slips out onto her cheek as she punches him in the gut.

He does not back down, he does not draw away, but instead he holds his ground with a hard expression on his face, eyes narrowed, and lips thin.

The blows start to get weaker. Tears blur her vision, and she bites her lip. A whirlwind of grief, shame, and hatred rush through her as she glances once more at his half-visible face through her tears, and she puts all her strength into one last punch.

He takes it willingly. And when the momentum keeps propelling her towards him, he catches her—grabbing first an arm, then a shoulder, and she is tucked into his embrace. He tightens his hold on her, keeping her arms trapped between them.

She squeezes her eyes shut and clenches her jaw and tears slip down her cheeks. She feels the warm arms around her, and she lets out a shaking breath. She digs her face into his shoulder, and mover her hands to grip his shirt, and she cries as he moves his arms to hold her by the waist.

"I know you, Katara. You're not fine." He says it softly. And she takes comfort in this. Not a lot. But it is the first time in a long time anyone has been there for her, and just for her, and the first time in a long time someone has been able to comfort her, and to make her feel safe. It is the first time in a long time she's had something to cherish-something to hold onto.

He feels her arms come free to wrap around him. Her arms crawl up his back, and she holds him closer—because he is all she has right now, and because she knows she is not _fine._ They stand like that, in an embrace for several minutes, Zuko doing his best to comfort her, rubbing her back in circles. The moment turns stiff and awkward when she finally draws herself back.

She turns away and averts her gaze. The mask is back on. Her eyes narrow, "You don't know me," and with that, she walks up to the bison, and climbs up into the saddle.

They don't speak the whole journey home, but every few minutes, he will cast a glance in her direction. _Maybe not, but I _want_ to know you._

* * *

**A/N: **ugh v.v;;; well, i tried. I'm not that proud of it-I love the idea, but not so much the piece itself. there was a lot of editing i needed to do, but there was no time to do it between a speech in english, a test in history, a test in math, a test in physics, a quiz in spanish, a late project in art, a big project for history, and the PSAT/NMSQT D:

but i tried my best, and that's what counts T-T

anyways, i kinda took the idea from somewhere, but i had been wanting to use it for about a year v.v so...if any of you can pinpoint where the idea came from, props to you, but just letting you know, it wasn't a romantic scene or anything like that. it was just really emotional, and i thought it would work for these two

I notice it's kinda odd to audition for a writer's spot for a script with a piece with barely any dialogue, but you have to understand that in this moment, neither of the characters are really that inclined to speak at all. In the actual episode, they were pretty much silent. they didn't talk to each other much before they became friends at the end of the ep. But I tried to put a bit of dialogue in there-no speeches because Zuko is supposed to suck at that, but even with minimal dialogue, it still comes out cheesey.  
and i kinda used "I know you" "you don't know me" from the beach episode here too. I apologize. luckily, this is not a part of the finale, so it won't actually count for anything v.v;;

anyways, i hope i get in-I so want this to happen :D i am so excited

I will still be auditioning for storyboards, but i will nix the voice acting on the grounds that I suck. a lot.

REVIEW!!

_**-Fishy701**_


End file.
